Avid K-drama watchers have probably come across the Hodu-Gwaja, a popular street snack shaped like an actual walnut. If you’ve been curious to see what these Hodu-Gwaja taste like, you’re in luck—we found a spot in Singapore where you can get these treats from just $1.20 each, and they’re made fresh on the spot!
ICE LAB is a popular bingsu café in Singapore, but they’ve recently added a Hodu-Gwaja kiosk to their Far East Plaza outlet, where they’ll be churning out freshly-made treats all day long! If you’re new to Hodu-Gwaja, they’re essentially walnut-shaped pastries or cakes made with rice flour, before being filled with walnut chunks and a variety of fillings.
Red Bean
Cream Cheese
Cream Cheese & Red Bean
ICE LAB offers 6 different flavours of Hodu-Gwaja, all of which are of the sweet variety. The most classic version of the Hodu-Gwaja features a dense waffle or pancake-like batter and red bean filling, and they’re best eaten hot or warm, while they’ve still got the slightly crunchy crust.
Butter & Red Bean
Custard
Cacao Barry Chocolate & Red Bean
Our top favourite flavour is the Butter & Red Bean, that’s topped with a thick cut of lightly salted cold butter—and we loved the contrast between the warm, sweet pastry and cold butter. The Custard flavour was also a hit, filled with homemade smooth custard filling that was light and not overly sweet. For something more unique, you can go for their Cacao Barry Chocolate & Red Bean flavour that’s a cold version of the pastry and coated with chocolate on the outside.
The Hodu-Gwaja is exclusively available at ICE LAB’s Far East Plaza outlet, and you can get them from $6 for 5 pieces. You can also mix and match your favourite flavours for $9 for 5 pieces.
ICE LAB
Address: Far East Plaza, 14 Scotts Rd, #01-01/01A/02, Singapore 228213
Opening Hours: 11am-10pm daily
